Who is Hans Christian Andersen?
Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale, quote by Hans Christian Andersen.
Did you love fairy tales as a child? Thousands of people across the globe have let their imaginations run wild with these incredible stories, yet did you know some of the most iconic fairy tales were the work of a single Denmark-based author?
That’s right, beloved stories such as The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea and The Snow Queen are all the work of author Hans Christian Andersen. For centuries, his work has inspired generations of children and adults alike, and to this day, his literary canon remains one of the most famous fairy tale collections of all time.
Born in Denmark on April 2nd, 1805, Andersen’s early years were spent in Odense, where his parents encouraged him to push the boundaries of his imagination and read what he could. Following the death of his father, he moved to Copenhagen at the age of 14 to seek a career in acting, but Andersen soon found that his real talent lay in the stories and poems he could create.
Although he published a range of books and poems, it is his fairy tales that established his lasting legacy. Becoming some of the most famous stories in the world, his tales were semi-autobiographical, and would almost always contain a moral. The Ugly Duckling, which conveys the message that you should not judge a person by their appearance, is a reflection of Andersen’s own experiences growing up where he was cruelly teased by other children for his appearance.